People are extrememly busy these days and my students are no exception;therefore, I believe in the flipped classroom. I think the collaboration with others is crucial and is a skill that needs to be facilitated.
I can most relate to Constructivism. My experience lies in the field of web design, so working first-hand with coding languages is the best way to learn it. This allows for memorizing tags, syntax, etc., problem solving, analyzing existing code for a project, as well as developing new code. Just like learning a new language, the most effective method is to be immersed and active in the context.
Constructivism helps students make connections that they may not make individually; providing a collaborative constuctive environment promotes student engagement and deepens their understanding.
I have always personally subscribed to the theory of Constructivism. I teach a lot of public speaking courses, and while you can learn all the theory in the world, if you don't actually give a speech, it is not going to truly be understood. I can see how this theory could be applied to the flipped classroom as well.
Christen Embry
I agree with what you are saying. I teach a 2 hour class which includes a 15 minute break and I find it so difficult at times to be able to give the students all the material I need to in such a short period of time. I often feel like I am cramming it down their throat and I know that while some students will get the material no matter how rushed I am in presenting it, I know that there are still others who do not get it and will not ask questions despite my asking if anyone has questions. By using the pre-recorded lectures, videos, etc, as the instructor I can take the forst 15 minutes of class to re-emphasize the key components of the lecture and be able to then show them how to work through the assigned tasks or practice the skills.
Kimberlee,
Good point. Our "face-time" with students is so limited we certainly want to use it in the most effective way possible.
Dr. Moody Crews
By having the student come to class hopefully prepared by having watched the pre-recorded lecture, video, youtube demo, ect., the instructor will have more time during the classroom setting to focus on other things and topics. I find I am very limited by my course hours and do not have the "face-time" to deliver all the information I would like to. This philosophy opens up that time!
